Employees are the most valuable assets of any organization, regardless of industry, location, or size. Productivity depends on their ability to deliver positive results and meet expectations. A successful company must invest in its workforce.
Contrary to many opinions out there, doing so needn’t be complex or expensive. Simply by being creative, investing in your workforce can be simple and pocket-friendly.
Here we explore the three most valuable and cost-efficient ways to invest in your team.
Tap Into Their Lives Outside of Work
We’re all human. Life is full of ups and downs. Divorce, illness, losing a loved one or a dispute with a spouse are some of the realities that people face every day.
A powerful way to invest in employees is by tapping into their personal lives. What’s happening to them outside work that’s affecting work?
Team members often try to compartmentalize their personal lives from their professional ones when they experience life challenges. It is more than likely however, that this personal issue will impact performance and productivity.
What Should You Do If You Suspect A Team Member Is Experiencing Life Issues?
If an underperforming employee hasn’t mentioned what’s going on in his life, do some digging. Great leaders don’t jump to conclusions, they assume they don’t know the full story and they seek clarification. Specify the changes you’ve noticed and ask the person if everything is okay.
If he/she isn’t willing to open up, politely remind him of workplace expectations. If the employee is dealing with a serious life struggle, see how the company can accommodate the individual’s needs.
Some ways that you can put this into action are by perhaps slicing off their workload and delegating some of their duties to other team members. Or give them temporary leave and outsource the tasks until they return. The idea is to be helpful and solve the issue together.
This helps to remedy the issue and shows a valued employee that the company cares.
Read More: Empathy As An Essential Leadership Skill
Clearly Communicate Expectations Of Your Workforce
Unwanted behavior in the workplace typically originates from leaders not clarifying what they expect from employees.
Clear expectations are necessary for accountability. You can’t hold your workforce accountable if you haven’t communicated what you expect from them. Determine exactly what is expected from each position and how they are to execute their jobs. Explain what success looks like and how it will be measured. This will help them understand a clear path to success, and to aid you when they aren’t performing up to the standards you set.
Determine and Provide Missing Resources For Your Workforce
Occasionally, the nature of team positions can change which could lead to different responsibilities. Workloads can also change based on many factors (eg. time of year). The resources need to be in place to ensure that your team can succeed with these newly defined situations. You can’t blame employees for being underproductive if they lack the resources to be successful. For example, your staff may be overwhelmed with increased customers during a busy season. In such a case, your employees may need additional staff members (maybe employed temporarily) to assist your workforce through the high-pressure season.
To identify missing resources, consider the following questions:
- When are the busy periods in your organization?
- Are your employees embarking on a huge and significantly demanding project?
- Are team members working longer hours than usual?
- Have responsibilities substantially increased/changed?
- Are burnout cases or complaints emerging?
If you’ve answered yes to one or more of these questions, your team members are likely under-resourced. After identifying missing resources, prioritize them and provide them accordingly to your team.
Read More: Smart Leadership: How To Predict And Solve Problems Before They Happen
The Bottom Line
Your team members want to feel valued and they need to be properly supported. Investing in them using the above techniques will lead to a happier and more productive team, reducing employee turnover and boosting job satisfaction and productivity!
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